Scaling Joyful Learning: Systemic Integration of Evidence-Based Math Games into Early Years Classrooms in India

• In Event: Foundational Literacy, Numeracy, and Competency Assessment

Proposal

Mathematics in the early years is about generating a sense of curiosity, reasoning and joy. When children see mathematics as a story to explore rather than a rule to follow, they build strong foundations for mathematical thinking that support them as confident, lifelong learners. In India, only 33.7% of Grade 3 students can solve basic subtraction, indicating widespread foundational deficits (ASER Survey 2024). Data from many countries highlights persistently low levels of mathematical proficiency at the primary and elementary stages, which is a serious concern. Disparities in early mathematical learning can have lasting implications, affecting a child’s overall educational trajectory and life experiences. These trends underscore the urgent need for pedagogical approaches that foster both conceptual understanding and mathematical confidence from the early years. Research shows that children have intuitive abilities to learn mathematics and we need to design a curriculum that is backed by cognitive science literature to scale up deeper mathematical thinking.
To bridge the learning gaps, Pratham Education Foundation, in collaboration with J-PAL and Prof. Elizabeth Spelke piloted and scaled an evidence-based Math Games curriculum to improve early mathematical skills in India. The initiative draws from over a decade of empirical research demonstrating that children possess innate numerical and spatial abilities. The games are designed to enhance children’s number, shape and spatial understanding for ages 4 to 7 years. Rigorously tested in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the games showed significant learning gains.
This paper highlights Pratham’s experience of scaling Math Games across various states in India from 2022 to 2025. The scale up was executed in four phases where each was informed by iterative learning. The research tools and methodology used in this study were baseline and endline assessments after each intervention, teacher feedback surveys, and classroom monitoring to ensure program fidelity and iterate the approach and curriculum accordingly.
Phase 1 focused on internal learning, where master trainers implemented the games as conceptualised in the RCTs. Phase 2 simplified the materials and aligned activities with Pratham’s existing approach to early learning. Phase 3 expanded to about 300 schools in 3 states. Children reported enjoying these innovative games. Assessment tools indicated that the games were effective in the learning of mathematical concepts. Phase 4 embedded Math Games in state curricula, training frameworks and teacher course modules and scaled learnings from Math Games in more than 60,000 primary government schools in India.
This trajectory moved beyond conventional scale up models by integrating three strategic layers: (1) “Scaling out” to thousands of classrooms (2) “Scaling deep” by transforming how math is taught in early years and (3) “Scaling down” to design low and no cost models appropriate for varied school contexts.
Curriculum integration was key to sustainability. In Punjab, Math Games were embedded in revised Grade 1 math textbooks that reached all 13000 government primary schools across the state. In Himachal Pradesh about 6,200 government schools adopted revised pre-primary planners that included Math Games. In Andhra Pradesh, Math material for early grades was printed for more than 30,000 government primary schools.
Challenges included packaging material for scale, resistance to scripted delivery and the need to align with state policies. Pratham reduced Math Games materials by over 60% and cost by approximately 90% at scale and simplified teacher instructions while preserving core learning principles.
The paper concludes that sustainable scaling in education must be locally adaptable, evidence-informed and system-aligned. Pratham’s approach, grounded in cognitive science, is adapted through iterative design and embedded via state partnerships, demonstrating how foundational math learning can be transformed at scale. This work provides a replicable model for integrating research-based innovations into public education systems through co-creation and curricular reform.

Authors

• Swati Gupta, Pratham Education Foundation

• Samyukta Subramanian, Pratham Education Foundation